It’s something most of us don’t consider, but we’d all do well to remember. All it takes is one event to throw things into disarray; joy can become sadness, light can become dark. The day Matt became father, his life was altered forever. He’d just become a father and was riding a wave of resulting euphoria. The a nightmare occurred that no one could have predicted. Just 27 short hours later, his world had been turned upside down. Suddenly the future was bleak, his plans were in tatters, and he was alone on a dark path. Then he went to his computer, and things changed again.
His wife’s pregnancy was a tough one. At some point, Liz suffered from complications and was forced to go to the hospital – friends and family were kept informed via her blog, but were no less worried. By March, she was ready to give birth. At seven weeks premature, little Madeline came into the world via Caesarean section. The joy felt by Matt and Liz simply couldn’t be contained. Their dream had come true – they had finally become parents! A whole new chapter of their life lay ahead of them. Sadly, the beginning of this exciting new journey would turn into a nightmare. Liz had little time to acquaint herself with Madeline as she had to rest after the birth. The next morning, though, it was time for mom to meet her little angel.
Only, things didn’t go to plan. Liz got out of bed and began to walk, only to suddenly collapse to the floor. 27 hours after giving birth, Liz had died of a massive pulmonary embolism. For Matt, the anguish was indescribable. Mere hours after the greatest moment of his life, everything he had known had fallen apart. His grief was overwhelming. The single father needed an outlet for his emotions. Then the idea came to him to settle down at Liz’s computer. He opened said computer, found Liz’s blog and started writing himself.
He wrote, continued to write, and then wrote some more. On the same blog his beloved Liz had used to detail her road through pregnancy, Matt poured all of his thoughts about life as a widower, a single father, and a heartbroken man. The blog offered an insight into the entire process for Matt after Liz’s death. It was honest. It was open. It was his vulnerability. Soon, word spread of Matt’s blog, which he continued to update, and it became popular beyond his circle of friends. In just a few months the blog was averaging 40,000 readers a day. It just grew and grew. The readers, whom Matt had never met before, became like a family to him. They began to share tips and advice in a bid to help Matt overcome the worst of his grief.
